Evidence continues to mount on both sides of the Atlantic that banks are limiting services available to cryptocurrency users. A newly released report from Stand With Crypto UK, titled Blocked: Britain’s Crypto Access Problem, details the scale of difficulties faced by customers in the United Kingdom.
Earlier in 2026, the advocacy group launched an online tool enabling Bitcoin and other crypto holders to submit formal complaints when banks blocked or restricted transfers to UK-registered crypto platforms.
Between May and August 2026, covering a 90-day period, 9,803 individuals filed 10,092 complaints.
These submissions originated from every one of the UK’s 650 parliamentary constituencies.
Lloyds Banking Group recorded the highest volume, with 2,297 complaints.
Barclays followed with 1,569, and NatWest Group (including the Royal Bank of Scotland) ranked third with 1,278.
Together, these three large institutions accounted for a substantial share of the total.
Smaller providers such as Virgin Money and The Co-operative Bank received far fewer filings (103 and 76 respectively), though both fully prohibit crypto-related transfers.
Revolut, despite offering crypto features to customers, still saw more than 500 complaints.
The report identifies three main approaches among UK banks: outright bans on transfers, numerical limits, or the absence of any publicly stated policy.
Barclays and HSBC UK, for example, permit up to £2,500 per transaction and £10,000 over a rolling 30-day period, while Monzo caps transfers at £5,000 in the same timeframe.
Six banks, including Starling Bank, TSB, and Chase UK, are listed as imposing complete prohibitions. Lloyds and Revolut fall into the category of institutions without published restrictions, yet they still received significant complaint volumes.
Even where policies exist, banks retain the ability to block or delay individual transfers, limiting the practical value of published rules for consumers seeking alternatives.
Stand With Crypto argues that blanket sector-wide restrictions undermine effective consumer choice, as customers cannot reliably determine which banks will allow transfers to regulated platforms.
The group has called on banks to adopt risk-sensitive, case-by-case controls rather than broad prohibitions.
It has also urged the Financial Conduct Authority and HM Treasury to clarify that sector-wide blocks do not constitute a proportionate interpretation of regulatory obligations.
These findings build on earlier evidence.
A January 2026 survey by the UK Cryptoasset Business Council found that banks blocked or delayed approximately 40 percent of transfers to crypto exchanges.
British lawmakers have since examined whether restrictions are excessive, and the UK is advancing toward a new digital-asset regulatory framework expected in 2027.
Similar concerns about service restrictions have appeared in the United States. The volume of complaints underscores persistent friction between traditional banking and regulated crypto access in the UK, even as policymakers pursue broader ambitions for the sector.
